Press & Media

With their Deadline Up, Congresswoman Bustos Takes out the Red Pen to Demand Secretaries Nielsen and Azar Come Clean about How Many Tax Dollars They’re Spending on Trump’s Child Separation Policy

Bustos-led letter signed by more than 100 House Democrats gave the Departments of Homeland Security and Health & Human Services until Tuesday to Inform Congress of the Cost to Taxpayers for their Inhumane Policy

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) took out her red pen and updated a letter she had previously sent to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar demanding to know how many tax dollars have been and are currently being spent on President Trump’s family separation policy. In her original letter, which was signed by 107 of her Democratic House colleagues, Bustos gave the Secretaries two weeks to reply – that deadline passed on Tuesday with no response.

In her handwritten edits, Bustos demanded that these two Trump officials stop trying to slow down the child reunification process and immediately provide taxpayers with complete transparency about how many of their hard-earned tax dollars have been spent on this immoral policy. At the top of the new version of the letter, Congresswoman Bustos wrote “No more excuses or delays!! Get these kids back to their parents now and tell taxpayers how much you have spent.”

Bustos, a member of Democratic House Leadership, released the following statement:

“Never in 100 years would I have thought we’d be in a situation where American tax dollars were being used to rip children out of their parents’ arms, but that’s exactly what President Trump deliberately chose to do. The top priority right now needs to be getting these families reunified, so I hope the Administration stops slow-rolling these families. The Trump Administration spend millions, perhaps billions of dollars, breaking up families at the border and they have an obligation to show hardworking taxpayers the bill they expect them to foot for this immoral and un-American policy. No more excuses, the American people demand accountability.”

Below is a copy of the original text of Congresswoman Bustos’ letter to Secretaries Kirstjen Nielsen and Alex Azar along with a list of signatories:

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June 26, 2018

Dear Secretaries Azar and Nielsen:

As federal officials, we have a moral obligation to uphold the values that have always made America a beacon of hope, democracy and decency in the world.

We also have an obligation to the hardworking taxpayers across this nation who entrust us to spend their money wisely.

Over the last several weeks, we have been appalled by the images of children being separated from their parents at the border and haunted by the cries of toddlers taken from their mothers. We believe to our core that this is an immoral policy and a harmful misuse of taxpayer funds.

News sources have reported that it is costing the taxpayers as much as $256 per night at permanent facilities and $775 per child per day at makeshift tent cities under this family separation policy. It is our understanding that this does not necessarily include things like the cost of transporting children from the border to detention centers.

The public deserves a complete and thorough accounting of exactly how much of their money you have spent breaking up thousands of families on our southern border. Specifically, we are requesting, in writing:

The average per day bed costs for children separated from their parents. Include individual costs at temporary tent cities for immigrant children, permanent facilities or shelters for immigrant children and family detainment facilities.

The average length of detention of children separated from their parents.

The amount spent to transport separated children to their detention centers.

The amount agencies pay in rent, maintenance or other indirect costs for facilities to house or care for separated children.

The number of staff hours spent separating children from their parents.

A description of the kind of trauma counseling these children receive and how much has been spent in this area.

A description of the medical care these children receive. Please itemize the cost associated with the various treatments provided on things like mental health exams, immunizations and other pediatric treatments.

A full list of contractors, contracts and contract costs to house or in any way care for children separated from their parents.

Account for any additional direct or indirect costs, beyond those specified above, incurred by the federal government in separating and detaining children taken from their parents.

The estimated cost to taxpayers to reunite these children with their families.

The estimated timeline for completing reuniting these children with their families.

In short, we are requesting full and immediate transparency in accounting of this misuse of taxpayer dollars.

It’s hard to underscore how alarming it has been to see the White House, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Health and Human Services issuing contradictory and false information over the last few weeks. We urge you to take this opportunity to be transparent and forthright with the American public.

We request that you provide this information as quickly as possible, but no later than July 10th.